Research Technical Report

Death of the Stars

Stokstad, E. (May 2014)

Science 344:464-467

EXCERPT

This past summer, a mysterious disease began to spread among sea stars on the west coast of North America, reaching farther and striking more species than ever before. Something similar seems to be happening on the east coast as well. To identify the pathogen, researchers are conducting experiments and searching for genetic clues. They are also watching for ecological impacts from the loss of these top predators.